Walter Fawcus MC

Date of birth:

1881

Place of birth:

Germany

Service No.:

Not known

Rank:

Captain

Regiment / Division:

Northumberland Fusiliers

Battalion:

19th

Died:

25th March 1918 aged 37 years

Death location:

France

Life before the War
Walter Fawcus was born in 1881 to Arthur and Fanny Fawcus. The 1901 census records his place of birth as Germany. Walter (aged 20 in 1901) was lodging with his uncle and aunt Evans and Annie Fawcus in Jesmond, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Evans was a Coal Exporter. Walter was employed as a Shipbrokers Apprentice.

Military ServiceWalter joined the 19th battalion Northumberland Fusiliers on 29th December 1914. He was promoted to Temporary Captain on 15th March 1915 (listed in the London Gazette). He embarked to France on 28th January 1916 in command of Z Company.

Walter was awarded the Military Cross on 1st January, 1917. No citation accompanies the announcement as it was part of the New Year’s Honours List. While many gallantry awards were made to recognise a specific act and were granted as an “immediate” award, large numbers were granted in the New Year’s Honours and King’s Birthday Honours lists. These awards tended to be in recognition of a period of sustained gallant performance rather than a single act, and many went to those men who were not in a position to carry out spectacular acts – the unsung men of the transport, artillery, medical and veterinary services, ordnance and engineering, for example. The New Year’s Honours were listed on 31 December or 1 January and the King’s Birthday Honours at 3 June each year.

Walter was killed in action on the Somme on 25th March 1918 at the age of 37. He is remembered on the Pozieres Memorial (Panel 16 to 18). The Pozieres Memorial, situated on the Somme, honours 14,656 casualties who fell between 21st March and 7th August 1918 and who have no known grave.

Many thanks to the Fusiliers Museum of Northumberland for their assistance with this research. For further information on this Regiment please visit their website www.northumberlandfusiliers.org.uk.

Researcher:

Jan Thorn

Published.:

18th May 2014

Updated:

Insert dates here

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